


The Next Legends

by Diana_thenerdgirl221



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Critical Role Spoilers, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28607652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diana_thenerdgirl221/pseuds/Diana_thenerdgirl221
Summary: Cassandra, Kynan, and Kaylie have never had normal lives, but when they meet and Vox Machina are captured by an unknown force they must band together to save their families and quite possibly the world.
Relationships: Cassandra de Rolo/Kaylie, Cassandra de Rolo/Kynan Leore, Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Kima/Allura Vysoren, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia, Scanlan Shorthalt/Pike Trickfoot, Shaun Gilmore/Vax'ildan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Misery Loves Company

As far back as Cassandra could remember Percy never had an interest in politics, no Percival was an inventor and an artist not a politician. So when the time came to rebuild, after the defeat of the Briarwoods for the first time and the reclamation of their kingdom, Percy announced he had too many loose ends to tie up outside of the kingdom still and that rule should go to Cassandra. She wasn’t by any means shocked, however she was anxious, as Percy went on about how she was born and raised her whole life to lead a cold sinking pit formed in her stomach. He was right, but what he disregarded in his whole speech was the fact that she, the last of the De Rolo line at the time, had betrayed her people, she had helped spy for the Briarwoods and spearheaded the failure of the first resistance against them. And it wasn’t until the idea of a council of Whitestone was thrown out that she did actually agree to take up her birthright.

Paperwork is the backbone of society, it must be because that’s all Cassandra seemed to do all the time when she wasn’t overseeing the guard, or attending meetings with the council. She could lose whole days to the neat piles of parchment, her quill, ink, wax, and crest stamp sitting in perfectly straight and precise spots on her large desk in her own study which had a door that led directly to her bedroom. In the beginning, she would spend morning, noon, and night in that room, when she was finished she’d pick up a book and read until she was tired, then she’d read something else to avoid sleep. Her nightmares back then felt too real, she felt herself back in the clasp of those monsters, she saw the bodies of her parents and siblings, it was all too much so she just slept in small bursts or not at all. She had never found a place where she actually felt safe, if she was being honest with herself.

Most regarded Captain Kynan Leore as a hardworking and determined, yet quiet young man. He had been chosen to head up the newly created Rifleman Corps due to his experience with the newly created weapons, however when he first arrived in Whitestone he had serious doubts about his future. After witnessing the death and resurrection of Percival and assisting the woman who killed him he was sure that he would be executed or at the very least shoved behind bars for the rest of his natural life, but Vox Machina was a, maybe overly, forgiving group and instead gave him a job and a place to join society in Whitestone. When Vax’ildan asked him to keep an eye on the young baroness Cassandra, he was even more surprised. Out of all the people in Whitestone, out of all the talented guards, he was a very unorthodox choice but nevertheless he was chosen and began his duties promptly with Percy’s blessing.  
Now Kynan knew next to nothing about Cassandra, she seemed almost like a ghost story, someone who was seen occasionally floating about the grounds but she spent most of her time in the study or in her personal garden so he had never so much as seen her for the first few weeks he was there. So needless to say their first meeting was, really, awkward.

Kynan was summoned that morning to begin his new duties, a maid met him at the front of the castle, and as she lead him through it he knew he would get lost at least a few times, her study seemed to be as far into the castle as you could possibly be, very out of the way of anyone who may disturb her. The maid gestured to the large wooden door and he gave her a firm nod and a thank you before knocking it.

“Come in,” Her voice was soft, muffled by the sturdy wood. Cassandra watched as the door cracked open and Kynan stepped meekly into the study. It was much smaller than Percy’s but it was snug and smelled of the fresh cut flowers and wood which lined most of the walls. Her desk faced a fireplace and over it a portrait of the whole De Rolo family, a large ornate rug and small table with two chairs took up the distance between them. There was a loft area where the bookshelves were, while the shelves built into the walls of the lower area were covered in a few decorative nick nacks or some of what appeared to be pictures and belongings of some of the late members of the royal family. He was a bit stunned by the grandeur of the room but most of all the young woman that sat at the desk, perfect posture and just an air of regalness that he hadn’t quite experienced. It was difficult to tell her age, on one hand her face was that of a younger woman, but the lines under her hazy grey-blue eyes and the streaks of white like veins through her dark hair were traits of someone forty to fifty years her senior.

“Ah Captain Leore, please come have a seat.” His eyes snapped quickly away when he realized he was staring at her.

“Um,” He cleared his throat and stood at attention, he didn’t really know how to address a Baroness, “Um, your highness, Captain Leore of the first battalion rifle…”

“I know who you are Captain, and please Lady Cassandra, or just simply Cassandra will do just fine.” He could feel his cheeks flush red, of course she knew who he was. “I assume you know why you’re here, as I understand it you’ve been hand picked by my brother and his friends.”

“I admit, my lady, that I am a bit confused as to what my duties are exactly.”

“Well you would be with me through my day to day, and just stay by my side and make sure I don’t suffer some painful end before my time, really very simple.” Cassandra could feel his uneasiness, it hung in the room like a wet blanket, admittedly she also did not know much about the young man either which probably should have made her more nervous than it did.

“Oh well so I’m assuming I start right away then.”

“If it suits you to you may,” Kynan gave a small nod before surveying the scene deciding where the best place to stand would be before realizing he was staring at her hair again, Cassandra also took notice then pity on the poor boy. “It’s a bit strange I know.”

“Oh no! My lady no! I just…”

“There's no need to apologize, I know it looks, well it’s not common.”

“May I ask my lady, if it is not too bold, how old are you?” Cassandra was surprised to say the least, she had been asked much more intrusive questions by more proper people and he was worried about offending her, by asking her age?

“Oh, right, well I’m nineteen I’ll be twenty in… well soon.” She was only a year younger than he was and in charge of the whole of the city. Kynan couldn’t imagine being in charge of the lives of so many at his age, much less a year ago. “ You’re welcome to be wherever you think it will be easiest to, um, protect me.” He gave her a small nod and took his place by the door.

It was like that for a few weeks he would follow two steps behind her and be at the door never really saying much to each other. One night after a long day of council meetings, Kynan realized as he was getting ready to go to sleep he had forgotten to return Cassandra’s gloves after she had asked him to hold them. They were very dainty with white lace on the cuffs, and very small in his hands, he had never noticed how small her hands were. He could just return them when he went to breakfast with her in the morning, but something told him to return them now. It was already late as he walked from the barracks back into the palace, and he highly doubted she’d still be awake, but if that was the case he’d just place them on her desk. The palace was much quieter at night, most of the time there would be staff and a million people coming in and out, but there were only the night watch guards, who Kynan knew a few of so they didn’t give him much trouble. He made his way to the room at the end of the hall, but not before a piercing scream made its way to his ears.

Cassandra was startled from sleep by the sound of large wooden doors being flung open and Kynan’s yelling. She held the covers to herself in shock for a moment when she realized why he was so panicked.

“Where’d they go? My lady are you alright?” He had the daggers Vax had given him drawn, but he saw no no intruders or even signs of entry. in his frantic searching, he had neglected to actually look at Cassandra, so when he turned to her and saw her sobbing into her knees drawn up to her face a jolt of panic ran through him, and he practically flew to her bedside.

“My lady! Where are you hurt? What happened?” He reached out instinctually to comfort her, but she flinched, hard, away from him with a smaller yelp.

“Please… please no I can’t.. I’m fine nobody was in here,” She looked up at him, “Wait why are you still in the castle?” Kynan’s nerves were so shot he just simply held out the now wrinkled, gloves to her helplessly. Cassandra looked down the gloves and then back to Kynan blankly before bursting out in weak laughter.

“You came all the way back here to return my gloves? Kynan I have dozens of pairs you could’ve waited till morning.”

“I’m glad I didn’t,” He dropped to a knee beside the bed to get on her level, “What happened? Do you want to talk about it?” Her immediate instinct was no, she didn’t want to admit her weakness, she didn’t want to admit to not being able to stop the horrors from infiltrating her dreams.

“I had a bad dream is all, it’s fine.” His brow furrowed and she could tell he didn’t believe her.

“I get really bad ones like that too, the ones that feel real.” He placed his hand on hers and looked her in the eyes, and to both their surprise she didn’t flinch away. Cassandra was not used to physical affection of any kind, even in her younger years their family was very proper so it wasn’t something she ever experienced. So when she looked into his eyes, it was almost too much and the tears just poured uncontrollably.

“It’s alright,” He didn’t want to make any movement to hug her or anything after her prior reaction, so he decided to let her control the situation as much as possible, “May i sit?” She nodded her head weakly as he sat on the edge of the bed. And for a minute or two he just sat with his hand on hers as she cried.

“Can you hand me my..” she breathed out between sobs pointing to the dainty handkerchief in her bedside table.

"Of course, yes here.” She blew her nose which seemed to help as her sobs became less violent. She looked so frail and afraid, which were two words he would never normally use to describe her, her normal air of confidence and regality shattered. “You know, once, after my father had too much to drink, I woke up screaming as well, he tried to make me go out and sleep in the stable, but my mother, she ran him off and sat with me and we just talked until I fell asleep again.”

“How old were you?” Her voice was weak from the sobbing, so it almost came out as a whisper.

“It was right before I had left home, I supposed I was seventeen.” She looked slightly more relaxed but concerned simultaneously, “They got really bad again after I came here, not to say Whitestone was the problem it was.. well,”

“Ripely?” Kynan was caught a bit off guard, his free hand moved back down to his blade instinctually, “I know a little bit about what happened, well Percival told me.”

“Well you already know more about me than I do you, but yes, I woke up one night to Jarret pouring cold water on me, he said it was so bad they couldn’t even wake me.” Cassandra collapsed into her pillows being careful to not move her hand.

“That’s why I’m tucked away like I am, my sister Vesper used to have the room across from mine, she would wake up and come get me, she said it was because I had an active imagination, that the monsters were just things I had thought up, that I could fight them in my head, but I’d always win because my head belonged to me. It didn’t work as well when the monsters became real.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I understand how you feel I think, and I’m good at keeping my mouth shut if you would like to share.”

“I’m surprised you don’t already know, it seems everybody does.”

“I have a vague idea,” he leaned against her bedpost “I know your family was killed by the Briarwoods, I know Percival escaped and eventually you both defeated them.” Cassandra let out a defeated chuckle rubbing her eyes, a headache was slowly forming behind them.

“You don’t even know half of the story.” She didn’t know why she told him everything, the words just flowed out of her without a second thought. She told him about the years of torture she has suffered under the Briarwoods, about every struggle, every betrayal, about her parents and siblings, just everything, And he just listened. And when she was finished she realized how close they had gotten to each other.

“I don’t think I’ve ever told half of that to another person in my life,” The tears slowly made their way back softer this time when she looked up at him. He came slowly closer to her before offering open arms, and before she thought too much about it she accepted. For a moment the world stood still, she felt the weight melt away and for the first time in her life she just existed, she didn’t think she just accepted.

“I promise you Cassandra, I will be by your side, nothing and nobody is going to hurt you again.” She pulled away for a moment.

“We’ll protect each other,” she looked around for a moment before getting up and pulling out a length of blue ribbon out of her bureau drawer, “Here, may I see your dagger?” He nodded and handed one over carefully and she cut the silk in half. She did finally move her hand to guide his over to her, she tied one half around her own wrist then the other half around his.

“This will be our promise to each other,” unbeknown to Kynan his cheeks went scarlet as he offered her a smile. He locked pinkies with her like he used to do when he was young.

“Cassandra, I promise to protect you, to be there always, to wake you from your nightmares, and to be here to listen to whatever.” They giggled a bit, it had been a long while since either of them had felt like children.

“Kynan, I promise to protect you, to be a fair and wise leader, to keep our kingdom safe, and to try my best not to order you around all the time.” And what had started out as terror melted into sleepy giggles and swapping stories until the both fell asleep. That night their unsteady alliance became friendship, and both came to the conclusion that if they never found a safe place they always had one in each other.


	2. Like Father like Daughter

Kaylie stood in the room of her illegitimate father, the scoundrel that left her mother with nothing but an unwanted pregnancy and a broken heart. She had planned her revenge carefully for years and now here he was, trying to bed her. 

“I guess I should tell you a little bit about myself then,” She said slyly, moving her finger around the rim of her wine glass.

“Yes, please, I’m fascinated.” She was absolutely disgusted, as he leaned in closer but she swallowed another swig of her drink. 

“Well, I grew up in Kymal, mostly, before moving to Westrunn to train at the College of the White Duke. Finest of the bards, he was.” She felt his eyes on her but knew he was only half listening, “My mom gave all her savings to put me up there. Now, I only joined the troop about six months back. It was my third year at the Duke’s when the good doctor came through and, well, I seized the opportunity.” 

A slimy lump formed in her throat, and she let her mask drop a bit as the anger grew. His dopey eyes making their way up and down her form before she had enough.

“Now, to be perfectly honest up-front, I’ve already heard a bit about your tales, Shorthalt.” Her hand slowly making its way to the handle of her shortsword.

“Well, I’m flattered, and, you have quite a lot of talent for having just been playing with the troop for six months. I was impressed by that.” He tried leaning closer still but she withdrew crossing her arms over her shoulders, preparing her killing blow.

“Thank you very much. You know where I’ve heard most of these stories?” He shook his head unsuspecting as she let the mask fall and her eyes sharpen, "My mother, Sybil.”

“Who?” He sat dumbfounded for a moment as she saw the realization hit him like a dead fish to the face. 

“Sybil. A fine gnomish lass, it was some years ago, she came across a smooth, silver-tongued flautist who blew through like the wind and disappeared.” She let the poison slip into her voice with every word, “Took her innocence with a promise, then vanished just as suddenly. Left her a child to raise on the income of a quilter. Now growing up, I heard tale and tale of your musical feats as my mother took on a third job to support us through bad harvests, just south of Silvercut.” Every sharp edge she could muster she laid into him through her eyes. "Being the only tiny, female fair folk in such a rural town means being preyed upon, so I learned to use a blade quickly, and to wield my charm just as viciously. Seems that runs in the family, aye?”

“I- oh- I..” For the first time in his life Scanlan Shorthalt was at a complete loss for words and Kaylie relished in every moment of it, she would break his soul then break his face.

“This day Scanlan Shorthalt I beat you at your own song, and now I take your dignity. Take up your sword.” She lifted up her own to his chin as he raised his hands swiftly.

“ First of all, Kaylie, it’s so wonderful to meet you.” As he tried to move the tip of her sword away from his throat with the tips of his finger, she just moved it back, making sure the tip was touching his Adam’s apple just enough to where it wouldn’t cut him yet. 

“Don’t try that with me.” All he could do was stammer out excuses for himself, she wanted to slit his throat right there and then, nobody would be around to stop her, but it would be dishonorable to not give him the chance to defend himself, and she would not become like him.

“Do you even remember Sybil?” She let her sword fall as he panicked, wracking his brain for any memory of Sybil, before a blast of energy went off in his brain.

“Ah yes, Sybil. She was passionate, intelligent– She really, lot of– hands-y, sort of, I mean, I think I remember her quite well. And she was a wonderful person, and you should be honored to have such a wonderful person as your parent, and not someone like me, because I was a scoundrel, you’re right.”

“You are a scoundrel. Do you even realize you nearly invited your  daughter up to sleep with you? You have no boundaries. You take what you like and you keep walking on. You trick folk. Now draw your blade.”  her anger seething and boiling in her gut as she took a step back raising her own blade again.

“I don’t want to fight you, if that’s what you’re insinuating. Listen, I know that I’ve made mistakes in my life. I’ve admitted as much before, and I don’t know why I’m this way. I must need to do a lot of soul-searching to come up with an answer, but there is a woman who I love very dearly and who I would do anything for, and I’m trying to be a better person. I haven’t been to a whorehouse in months! That’s a big step for me. A big step. I know that sounds callous and crude, but I’ve tried to be a better person. If you’re here to fight me, I’m afraid you’re going to be terribly disappointed, because I will just let you kill me, if that’s what it takes. I didn’t know you existed, and my heart is breaking a hundred times now for not knowing it. Every year that you’ve been alive is a year I could have been a better person and known someone who could have made me a better person, and I’m only sorry that I didn’t know it. If there’s anything I can do for you from now on– if you are truly my blood, I will, because among my many faults, ego is certainly one of them, and knowing you’re part of me makes me love you even more.” 

She took another step back as hot tears threatened to overflow from behind her dark eyes, a blind rage sending her head into a tizzy as her knuckles turned white from the grasp she had on her sword. She felt her whole body tense the veins in her neck bulging. Scanlan began to unbutton his shirt slowly exposing his chest.

“Stab me right here, if you’d like, and I will not resist. You’ve earned it. Take me.” A fat hot tear streaked down her face and her jaw clenched before she felt her body move forward with all the force that she could muster.

But half way through her strike, exhaustion consumed her and her will faltered as she fell just inches short of his chest, her blade clattering to the ground and the force carrying her forward into his arms where he embraced her tightly the tears flowing forth like a broken dam.

It had been a year or so since that night, since then Kaylie ran into him a few more times in her endeavors with the troop until the night of his resurrection when he ended up leaving with her to become crime lords in Ank'Harel, under the shared alias of Aes Adon or the ‘meat man’ (Not her idea but whatever). She would never admit it to him, but those were some of the greatest days of her life. As he taught her all that he knew and the business thrived, she felt the resentment that she had for him over the years make its way to the back-burner, and she thought, maybe, they had begun to feel like family.

One morning she made her way down to the breakfast table, scanlan picking at his eggs, brow furrowed studying what looked like a letter.

“What did we get?” Kaylie poured her coffee and sat across from him as he shook his head, folding the letter up and stuffing it into the pocket of his vest.

“Nothing- It’s nothing, who are we meeting today?” Kaylie narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was lying to her she reached across the table, snatching the envelope from his vest, and he saw no point in trying to stop her. She took a minute to read it over before she could tell why he looked so disturbed.

“What- who.. What is someone doing with dead bodies? And what are these artifacts?” Scanlan rubbed the bridge of his nose shaking his head.

“I have a theory, but I hope for once that I’m wrong. The artifacts are magical, other than that I'm not sure but I’ve sent Lionel and a handful of men to go investigate a lead.” Not much bothered Kaylie, but the thought of people digging up someone’s loved ones made her stomach turn a little. The her thoughts then snapped to Lionel, he was dumb as a sack of stones, but very sweet and a damn good fighter, so she was confident that he would be okay if he ran into trouble, but concerned about how much intel he would bring back. 

“You should have sent me with them I could..”

“Absolutely not, Kaylie I need you to listen to me,” Scanlan flew around the table and kneeled in front of her, frantically putting his hands on her shoulders. She hadn’t ever seen this amount of pure fear and panic in his eyes in the time that she had known him. “You have to promise me you will not go pursuing this, promise me.” Every ounce of confidence and swagger that Scanlan had evaporated, as she realized this was potentially much bigger than she thought it was. 

“I-I won’t, I won’t I swear, but you have to tell me what is going-” but she was cut short by a loud booming noise from the front door, without a word they both threw on a disguise, Scanlan taking the face of Aes Adon while Kaylie took the form of a young drow woman with a short pixie cut, and grabbed a weapon as they rushed to the room. 

As they came down the staircase they saw the large figure of their green half orc friend, battered and bloody, deep crimson slashes cut their way through his armor, and massive plum bruises absolutely covered his face. He was slumped over a chair in the corner that was far too small for him but he seemed too tired to care. 

“Lionel, good gods man what happened to you, quick get some bandages and any healing potions we have,” Kaylie nodded and ran quickly to the healing kit from the kitchen, before wrapping bandages around the poor man. Scanlan fed him a potion and urged him to speak if he could.

“Aes, it was nothing I had ever seen, we followed them into this big tunnel that goes into the mountain. We had to go through, it took a long time and we had to fight a lot of cool stuff along the way, but,  when we got to the middle, we found a big giant pyramid.” Scanlan fell to a knee as the air was knocked right out of his lungs, Kaylie could only look on in confusion and continue to dress Lional’s wounds.

“I’m sorry Lional, just got light headed,” Bullshit Kaylie thought, fixing a bandage to Lional’s biceps, “Please go on.”

Scanlan and Lional were bound for Whitestone the very next day to hopefully find the rest of Vox Machina, and Kaylie stayed behind to keep business going, despite wanting to go too. She was very well acquainted with being alone but this was the first time in a year that Scanlan wasn’t there and the house was almost depressingly quiet. As a result she spent most of her nights in a pub just to escape the silence and drown her sorrows.

They returned a few days later in the middle of a meeting, wearing the same face as her. Needless to say it was extremely annoying but she was just relieved they had found Vox Machina and were home safe. However her relief was short-lived.

“I was going to escort them there. Do you think you have things handled if we go for a day?” A bolt of panic ran through her whole body, the memory of Lionel running circles through her mind, but she didn’t lose her footing and maintained her composure.

“Oh, that’s fine, I’ve only been dealing with this for the past two and half weeks without you just fine, no one’s noticed, until you came up inside looking the same as me. That’s great!” She threw her hands up a bit, that was a little more aggressive then she had intended. After a bit more back and forth, Kaylie gave them some supplies and they were ready to go.

“All right, then. Good luck! Don’t die.” She tried to sound casual, the fear building up at the base of her throat as she watched them make their way out of the hide away. And there she was, left with the silence and the smell of tobacco.

She left early for the day, her anxiety became too much to handle and she caught her voice slipping one too many times, she sat in her room for a few hours laying on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She tried her best to distract herself, with the swirls in the wood that made up the ceiling in their home, their silent home. With the smell of the air that wafted in from the small window in her room, where she could hear a bard's flute coming from the streets. The way that her bed felt around her muscular figure. She thought back to the night her mother died, the first time she had blacked out, and she knew what she had to do. That night was a haze of booze over the next few days she stayed in a good enough state to do business but otherwise she was completely numb, keeping up her distractions. 

On a particularly bad day she called off all meetings for the day and just sat in the hideout with a bottle in hand. Her senses barely about her as she heard the hatch open up, a hooded figure making their way into the room.

“Dorn! I thought I said no meetings today!” She shouted up, but there was no response and the hooded figure continued it’s way into the room, “Dorn! Gods dammit.” She hissed under her breath, “Sorry I am not doing business-”

“I’m not here for business Kaylie Shorthalt.” It took her a moment to process what he had said.

“I’m sorry who?” She said straightening up making sure she had the hat of disguise on and her best poker face. She couldn’t make out many features from under the man's heavy black hood but if this was someone playing a prank or something it wasn’t funny.

“Don’t play dumb, I haven’t got the time, the whispered one awaits.” Before she could do or say anything she felt the disguise drop and her vision quickly fade to black.


End file.
